Queen's portrait defaced with spray paint at Westminster Abbey

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A PORTRAIT of the Queen at Westminster Abbey in London has been removed from public view after it was defaced, an abbey spokesman says.

The painting, by Australian-born artist Ralph Heimans, had been on display in the Chapter House section of the abbey for a few weeks before it was vandalised with paint.

Fathers 4 Justice, a protest group that campaigns on behalf of fathers denied contact with their children, said the arrested man was a member. It said he had written "Help" with paint on the picture in the abbey's Chapter House.

Police said a 41-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and taken to a London police station.

The painting was unveiled in London last year for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

An abbey spokesman said: "In an incident at lunchtime today, a visitor to the abbey sprayed paint on the Ralph Heimans portrait of the Queen presently on display in the Chapter House.

"Until work can be done to remedy the damage it will, very regrettably, not be possible to have the painting on public view."

The painter, Heimans, was granted an hour-long audience with Her Majesty in March last year.

It took six months to complete and was unveiled in September by Governor-General Quentin Bryce at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.

The portrait depicts the Queen inside Westminster Abbey in a reflective pose. Last week, the monarch attended a ceremony in the abbey to mark the 60th anniversary of her coronation there in June 1953.

Mr Heimans said he wanted to "explore the dynamic between the public role of the Queen and the more human, emotional dimension".